Thoughts on recording for the new LORD album

So I’m in my home studio checking over all my equipment, making sure everything that needs to work still does and re-stringing guitars in preparation for guitar tracking on LORD’s upcoming release. I’ve recently had to purchase a new computer to get my Pro Tools back online as well as a new studio monitor. The previous gear had a good run and I was due to upgrade to some newer equipment but I was a little more than annoyed when it decided to die on me so close to recording time.

I’ve been listening over the demos quite a bit lately and I’m pretty confident we have a collection of songs that will make for one rather outstanding album. As usual it isn’t restricted to one style/genre in particular, all of us in the band have an extremely wide range of tastes and influences so if you’re expecting one song to sound like the next, well, they won’t.

I’m thinking back over the last 3 years since recording for ‘Set In Stone’ wrapped up and wondering how my guitar playing has grown and been influenced in that time. In general, my aim is to record lead breaks that you can sing to, but kind of terrify the listener. I’m not a player that slows down too much (which is often criticized) but I’m fine with that, I am who I am and I play what excites me and what I think feels right for the passage I’m playing over – my playing will develop naturally, not by the pressure of the public – I’ll attempt to bring a fresh edge and incorporate things I’ve learned over the last couple of years while maintaining the unique qualities that I believe set me apart from other guitarists. So, in order to do that I’ll need guitars with fresh strings and working electronics, and while I personally wire all my guitars myself to ensure perfect operation, I can’t be held responsible for a scratchy volume pot! I’m off to swap it out for a new one and blast these demos some more before I start mapping out some of my solos.